French widow Marie-Thérèse Ross returns home after US immigration custody

An 85-year-old French widow has returned to France after spending 16 harrowing days in U.S. immigration detention, a case that has sparked diplomatic tension between the two allies.

Marie-Thérèse Ross arrived back in her home country Friday morning, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who criticized the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) methods as “not in line” with French standards and “not acceptable to us.”

The elderly woman had moved to the United States last June after marrying a retired American soldier whom she first met more than 50 years ago when he was stationed in France during the 1960s. Their late-life reunion became a second chance at love, with Ross giving up her French pension to build a new life in Alabama.

However, her American dream unraveled after her husband William B. Ross died of natural causes in January. Court records reveal a family dispute quickly emerged over his modest estate, valued at less than $190,000, including the home where the couple had been living in Anniston, Alabama.

According to Calhoun County Probate Judge Shirley A. Millwood’s court order, Ross’s stepsons rerouted mail from the residence, causing her to miss an important immigration appointment. Federal agents detained Ross on April 1 for overstaying her 90-day visa, though her son Herve Goix told The Associated Press she had been in the process of applying for a green card when taken into custody.

The circumstances of her detention have raised serious concerns. Judge Millwood accused one stepson—a former Alabama State Trooper who now works as a federal employee—of using his government position to prompt his stepmother’s detention just days before a scheduled hearing about the estate. Court records indicate Ross was taken from her home while still in her nightgown and unable to collect her phone, passport, or other identification documents.

“She’s very tired, she’s not very good, but it’s difficult for her,” Goix said of his mother’s condition after her return to France. “We are very, very happy, but we are tired.”

The case has highlighted potential abuses of power within the immigration enforcement system. Judge Millwood has called for a federal investigation into the circumstances of Ross’s arrest “in light of the ongoing national events surrounding the distrust of federal law enforcement officers and the many investigations ongoing of corruption within our government.”

During her 16 days in detention at a Louisiana facility, Ross reportedly did not receive necessary medication, according to her attorney Kim Willingham. “She does not feel she or other inmates are being treated well within the facility,” Willingham told the AP. “She did everything she was supposed to do with regard to obtaining her green card.”

The judge’s April 10 ruling ordered Ross’s stepsons to allow her to retrieve her belongings from her late husband’s home. Court records reveal that immediately after federal immigration agents removed Ross from the residence, one of her stepsons arrived to change the locks.

In court, the stepson denied involvement in orchestrating his stepmother’s arrest. However, Judge Millwood noted evidence indicating he knew about the arrest in advance and received a text message confirming it shortly after it occurred.

The office representing the stepsons in the estate dispute declined to comment on the situation. Similarly, the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the city of Anniston stated its police department had “no involvement” in Ross’s arrest.

The case highlights the vulnerability of elderly immigrants caught in family disputes and raises questions about potential abuses within the immigration enforcement system. It also underscores the diplomatic complications that can arise when foreign nationals face what their governments perceive as unjust treatment while in the United States.

For now, the 85-year-old widow has returned to France, leaving behind not only her late-in-life American dream but also unresolved questions about accountability in a case that crossed borders and sparked international concern.